A former Conor McGregor foe believes he will be making his way back to the UFC.
Going into his July 19, 2014 bout, McGregor’s stock was already rising. He had been sidelined for almost a full year following an ACL injury during his meeting with Max Holloway. McGregor’s ended up scoring a first-round TKO finish over Diego Brandao.
Eleven years later, Brandao feels he’s on the verge of returning to the UFC.
Former Conor McGregor Rival Making UFC Return?
Diego Brandao is now 38 years and he knows time is running out on a potential UFC return. He told MMAFighting.com that he believes his recent efforts will earn him a new deal with the top MMA promotion.
“I think the UFC is going to call,” Brandao said. “We’ll talk to them tomorrow and see what they thought [of the fight]. Sean Shelby was there but people wouldn’t leave him be, there was a bunch of people around him, so he left before the co-main event.”
Brandao has been making some waves with his resurgence as the Tuff-N-Uff Featherweight Champion. The Brazilian veteran hopes he’s done enough to impress UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby.
“Dana White has already cleared me [to go back], but Sean Shelby is the deal. I know Dana White can put me back there if he wants to, but there’s a process. Dana White won’t open the doors for me because he knows how I am, my past. ‘I’ll put Diego here easily and he can mess things up. No, let me see if he really wants it. Let him work.’ I believe that’s how Dana thinks. And I’m not as important as Conor McGregor to call Dana White like that.
“And I like this way, to fight, because that’s how you appreciate things. If I have to fight a third fight, I’ll go for it with hunger because then they will see and know it. They want to see me like that, in a war, fighting, because they won’t just put him back in there like that. They know who I am, they know I need to work hard to value it. They know that.”
Brandao’s UFC run ended following a submission loss to Brian Ortega back in early 2016. The release was due to a felony arrest. Brandao ended up fighting in Russia before being urged by Shelby to fight in his weight class in the United States.
In his most recent outing, Brandao successfully defended the Tuff-N-Uff Featherweight Championship. He scored a fourth-round TKO finish over Canaan Kawaihae to retain his gold on June 29.
This is a name I haven’t heard in a while. Is promotion he’s in one of those can crusher ones?
He’s mostly been fighting in the top Russian promotion (and not doing well)
Now it looks like he got cut from there and now fights on minor US shows
The level of delusion here is sad.
He went and attacked his gym with a gun or some shit, didn’t he?
Well whoop-dee-shit